People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Wait a minute, if Poison wanted to assassinate me, why didn't you just tell me?

He glanced at Kal'tsit, who seemed to know something, but the Riddler, in his rage, simply nodded, indicating that Ernst should read it; she was there.

Ernst frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the envelope.

The letter was simple: a greeting, a brief self-introduction, and an apology for not being able to meet with Elchi in person—all rather empty platitudes. Only at the very end, near Elchi's signature, did Ernst notice a withered blade of grass.

Calling it grass is a bit of a stretch, after all, this thing looks rather strange, with a legendary "multicolored black" feel to it. And it's practically weightless. Ernst was about to reach out and pick up a blade of grass, but before he could even touch it, Kal'tsit and Typhon grabbed his hands together.

The force was very strong, especially Typhon, who was almost unable to move.

"what happened?"

Ernst looked up, somewhat bewildered.

Typhon and Kal'tsit exchanged a glance and asked simultaneously in two languages:

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No."

“Just in case, let me give you a full-body disinfection first,” Typhon said. “Now, take off your coat, shirt, and pants.”

Ernst gasped, instinctively taking a step back in the face of the tough Sarkaz girl, only to bump into a steel plate that had appeared behind him without him noticing.

"Kal'tsit, you!"

“This is necessary, Mr. Ernst. I am responsible for your health!”

Kelsey said,

"Don't worry, you weren't afraid just now, it's nothing serious."

I don't see what fear a blade of grass could possibly have. It's you two who are starting to give me fear!

In broad daylight, under the clear sky, what are you trying to do!

I'm warning you! Don't try to test my weaknesses!

Congratulations!

Before we knew it, it was Chinese New Year again! Chinese people celebrate the Chinese New Year! 2023 has passed, and 2024 has arrived. New year, new beginnings. Let's not get into any formalities. The most practical wish is for all our readers to have good health, peace, freedom from the pressures of competition, and a happy life in the new year!

Finally, one last time, Happy New Year!

Chapter 286 Demon: Let me see what's going on? I'm outta here!

"Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Confirmed, there was no change in the right hand, and the pupils and face were not blurred. No collapse reaction was found."

"What about his brain? Has he been experiencing any hallucinations? Does he usually have anything he's particularly concerned about?"

"this........"

Faced with Typhon's question, Kal'tsit remained silent for a moment, then turned her gaze to Ernst, who had been stripped down to only his underwear after a full-body examination and was now in a state of utter despair.

Is there anything Ernst is concerned about?

Kal'tsit hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked:

“Ernst, there are no Sarkaz in front of you, no giant beasts beside you, and of course, you're not swimming in a sea of ​​gold coins. You don't have any money at all. If you find yourself seeing these things, tell me immediately.”

Ernst's gaze, which had lost its luster, fell upon Kal'tsit, and he uttered a questioning sound from his open mouth:

"But don't we already have all of these things?"

Kal'tsit immediately became alert and subconsciously raised her hand, about to call for Mon3tr to appear and control Ernst. Typhon, who was beside her, also reacted immediately, taking out a snowball with strange patterns that shimmered faintly from his small toolbox. Without saying a word, he aimed it at Ernst's head, ensuring that the moment the man in front of him changed his condition, he could make him feel "Ammah's love".

Ernst's face did darken, but nothing seemed amiss. He looked at the two people arguing fiercely before him with bewilderment:

"Typhon is the Sarkaz, and Jeragand is right beside me. I think the one who's in trouble isn't me, it's you, Kal'tsit."

Kal'tsit: ".........."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across the green lynx's face. His raised hand slid smoothly through the air in a perfect arc, arriving at her lips to help her make a gesture of covering her face and coughing lightly.

"That's certainly true, but Mr. Ernst, please don't be annoyed by this. After all, this matter is quite extraordinary... May I ask one more question? You didn't see any gold coins, did you?"

Ernst shook his head: "No."

Kal'tsit breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

That's good? Not at all!

You were just checking if I was hallucinating, right?

Although I don't understand why you suddenly asked about Sarkaz and behemoths, whether it's Sarkaz or behemoths, Kjerag has them now, and Ernst can find them if he puts in the effort.

Gold coins are the only exception; if you don't have them, you simply don't have them, no matter how hard you try.

Are you implying that I can only swim in a sea of ​​gold coins in my imagination when you ask this question?

Ernst glanced at Kal'tsit suspiciously, and only after confirming that there was no other hint on her face besides a little embarrassment did he turn his head away with a touch of sadness.

Although he didn't know what Kal'tsit and Typhon were wary of, judging from their serious expressions, this was definitely not some trivial matter like Hinterlea changing her mat today. The two gave him a full-body checkup—to put it kindly, in a "Sami-esque" way; to put it bluntly, in a "shamanistic ritual" style—and were now asking all sorts of questions. Clearly, it was related to that little blade of grass he had almost touched.

It can not only affect the body, but may even cause hallucinations?

I'm so excited! It's wild mushrooms from Yunnan!

Ahem... Ernst certainly couldn't beat the pigeon whose name was incredibly hard to pronounce, which came from eating wild mushrooms at a certain time. But his intuition told him that the two of them's sudden reaction was probably related to the little black grass in the letter that he had almost touched.

Even though Kelsey and Typhon don't seem to be planning to explain, that doesn't mean Ernst can't ask.

If this thing is really dangerous, it should be destroyed long ago. And Miss Elchi who sent this letter, putting such a dangerous item in an envelope and sending it with you, are you making some kind of mail bomb?

"So, what is that thing?"

Kal'tsit and Typhon exchanged a glance. Ernst was quite certain the two hadn't known each other before, but at this moment, they seemed to have some kind of unspoken understanding. After exchanging glances, Kal'tsit stepped forward and answered with certainty:

"This thing is nothing at all."

Ernst: "........?"

Why are you standing here?

"You might as well make yourself clearer," Ernst suggested.

Kal'tsit's face showed a troubled expression. After a moment's consideration, she turned around, took the small [Ama's Love] from Typhon's hand—a charm that, contrary to the snowball's properties, radiated "warmth"—and placed it in Ernst's hand, then said:

"The blade of grass you just saw was contaminated."

"What I am about to say is absolutely true, so please take note, Mr. Ernst: whatever I say next, you must not be afraid."

Ernst also became serious. After exchanging glances with Kelsey for a while, he nodded: "Don't worry, I've received professional training. No matter how scary it is, I won't be afraid."

Kal'tsit nodded slightly and began today's Terra mini-lesson:

“Mr. Ernst, I believe you have also heard that there are two areas on this land that humans have not yet explored in depth. One is called the Hot Land of the Burning Wind, and the other is the vast Infi Ice Plain north of Sami, Ursus, and Yan Kingdom.”

"The reason why these two places have remained undeveloped for so long, and even a land-hungry nation like Ursus has not recklessly incorporated them into its territory, is that they are inhabited by [demons]."

The "Demons," along with the "Sealings" and "Originium," are considered one of the three major crises in the world of Terra. In some ways, however, it is also the crisis with the lowest profile.

The reason for this is that compared to the "Sea Legion Crisis," which caused the "Great Tranquility" in Iberia and led to the overnight demise of a super empire that once dominated Terra, and the "Originium Crisis," which has penetrated every aspect of Terra and become the energy source upon which the entire land depends for survival, constantly demonstrating its presence, the "Demon" crisis is almost unknown to most people.

It hasn't caused truly massive destruction. The Great Tranquility, a harbinger of the Seaborne Crisis, could be catastrophic enough to destroy a nation, while the largest Demon Crisis was wagered by the Ursus Empire, who risked the lives of the Wendigo Legion and dozens of their inner guards in Sunset Canyon. But being unknown doesn't mean that something wielding such a terrifying name as "Demon" is necessarily benevolent.

Rather, people should be grateful that evil is "unknown".

The demons are not beings of Terra, and may not even be considered beings. They are merely projections onto Terra, and their most known characteristic is their ability to grow powerful based on their understanding.

The more people recognize the evil spirit and interact with it, the stronger the power the evil spirit projects in this place will become. At first, it may only pollute a blade of grass or a flower, giving them a strange shape and causing them to lose some of their original characteristics. For example, the "black grass leaf" that Ernst received was not actually dyed black, but rather stripped of its own concept of "color," and therefore could only exist in a state of nothingness.

As for why the Void isn't yellow, green, or even colorless, but rather a multicolored black, Kal'tsit couldn't answer that question. After all, that's just how the Collapsed Bodies are—a black face, a black hole flashing—that's their standard design. If you really want to get to the bottom of it, you'll have to ask the Demons, since it's a matter of their personal aesthetics.

As pollution reaches higher levels, the power projected by evil forces also becomes more potent. This potency isn't simply a matter of increased pollution intensity; in fact, pollution is pollution, and there's no such thing as intensity. This change is more conceptual.

"Collapse paradigm, that's what we call that situation."

"Emotional instability, hallucinations, physical fragility, serious injury from even slight exercise or stumbles, laziness, often sleeping longer than normal, or conversely, hyperactivity, becoming more energetic at night, and forgetfulness, with the brain naturally skipping some information, or conversely, paying extra attention to everything it sees, even mistaking the trash can for its wife."

Upon hearing Kelsey's description, Ernst seemed to understand.

I feel like you're talking about a group, but I'm too embarrassed to say it directly.

Next time you're hiring, pay more attention to this and include a note saying you don't want "collapsed bodies" (referring to products that are difficult to compress).

Unaware of what Ernst was connecting the dots, Kelsey continued:

"These are just the mildest effects, only affecting one's own perception. If the power of the demon is too strong, it will directly affect concepts. For example, the shortest distance between two points will not be a straight line, atmospheric pressure will change randomly, making it impossible to adapt, and even the definition of civilization will be rewritten, with the human body becoming connected to machines and bones..."

"The powers of evil are diverse and numerous. And these are merely projections of it."

Kal'tsit took a deep breath, seemingly giving Ernst time to process this information. Unfortunately, she couldn't see any expression on Ernst's face other than "seriousness."

Did you really not feel any fear?

Kal'tsit wasn't unfamiliar with naturally bold people; she was simply somewhat surprised. After all, she had also seen far too many people who claimed to be "fearless," yet would begin to flee in terror at the mere mention of knowledge about demons.

Ernst's performance was normal, which was a plus in her eyes. If he were mentally weak, Kal'tsit couldn't guarantee that Ernst wouldn't be schemed against by those wicked Sarkaz while collecting the Pokédex.

This is no joke. One branch of the banshee race is particularly fond of this behavior, using their bodily fluids to make incense and perfume, using magic to condense their "kiss," and even making some strangely useful potions. They have a good reputation among the nobles and are considered to be among the most successful Sarkaz.

However, not being afraid now doesn't mean you won't be afraid later.

Demons grow powerful through cognition, and cognition is the bridge connecting humans and demons. Discussing demons naturally falls within the scope of cognition! In other words, Kal'tsit's current conversation with Ernst is, strictly speaking, also under the gaze of demons.

But "chaos that operates like thought" doesn't care about these noisy distractions, unless...

After a brief pause, Kal'tsit pursed her lips, gave Ernst a "get ready" look, and then spoke:

"When the pollution reaches its highest level, the projection of the demon's true form will pay attention to it, and may even descend directly upon it."

"One of the most powerful among them, according to the information I have, is named [???]."

The moment that name was uttered, Ernst felt the room suddenly fall silent.

Kal'tsit was still in the act of speaking, and Typhon's face still showed seriousness and surprise, as if he was caught off guard by Kal'tsit's blunt behavior.

In that instant, Ernst sensed a gaze.

While his vision might have been somewhat off, Ernst simply couldn't describe the feeling—the piercing sensation, the feeling of being dissected and seen through.

Is this the "???" that Kal'tsit was referring to?

Demons won't notice loud noises unless someone calls their name directly within the noise.

No, do demons have names? That's just what humans call them. Why would a demon understand that?

The demon can understand that the meaning of this title refers to it; is this one of its powers? Or is it not the true demonic entity, but rather another advanced projection mixed with the Terrans' "cognition and consciousness"? A tangible [collapsed paradigm]?

Before Ernst could figure out the problem, the feeling of being pricked by a thorn in his back suddenly disappeared. The "gaze" came quickly and went even faster, disappearing from Ernst's "side" in a fleeting glance.

Everything around seemed to regain its color. Kal'tsit took a deep breath, and her poker face finally let out a long sigh, relaxing slightly.

Meanwhile, Typhon, standing to the side, had already started rolling up his sleeves.

"Who gave you permission to say your name here?"

Kal'tsit replied, "This is to prove that I certainly know my limits."

Typhon was even more dissatisfied: "Those who drown are usually good swimmers! How come you're just like Elchi, so reckless in your actions? Even if you want Ernst to understand [the demons], there's no need to do it this way, is there?"

Kal'tsit reiterated, "I know what I'm doing. [Amma's Love] is in Ernst's hands, and he won't cause any problems."

“Even with Mother Anma…” Typhon hesitated for a moment and didn’t continue.

Because Ernst returned the snowball.

"This is the 'Ama's Love' you were talking about, right? Here, take it back."

“I already know about the demons, thank you. However, it's World's Fair time right now, so we can discuss this later. I'm very interested in the ‘crisis’ you mentioned, Kal'tsit.”

Ernst gave Kelsey a long look.

This old lynx is definitely more than just an "immortal."

No wonder he's the most famous riddle teller in Arknights.